Title: City of Thorns (The Demon Queen Trials #1)
Author: C.N. Crawford
My Rating: 🌟🌟1/2
Type: Series – Book 1
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy world, Magical world, Paranormal series
Primary Characters: Rowen, Orion
Narration: Dual POV
I m not a fan of urban fantasy but this blurb intrigued me. I wanted to see how magical world intervened with normal mortal world. Concept of doppelgänger and succubus was added intrigue. However, book was ok. It didn’t live up to my expectation. Ending definitely made me pick up next book in series.
City of Thorns is the first book to the Demon Queen Trial series, following Rowan, an indebted college student whose mother was killed by a Demon. Rowan is desperate to find the truth about her mother by entering City of Thorns. However, she being mortal is a great hinderance. When an unfortunate event made her path cross with “Lord of Chaos- Orion” she will take up the opportunity to act as Orion’s sworn enemy/ her doppelganger Mortana and retrieve information.
Rowan’s act as her doppelganger personality of confident, wicked, and stunning was interesting but lot parts of Rowan’s monologue became predictable and boring. Orion was good initially. He shows lethal grace and honesty. He wasn’t that brooding. I didn’t find him extraordinary. Relationship development between these two felt more like Insta.
Premise of the plot was good. The city divided between Demons and mortals. Each aware of other sector and following their own laws was good. But Demon getting scared of modern technology and Human? Is that even possible to fathom?
Writing style was ok ok. Some things felt repetitive. No intriguing secondary characters. Plot some amount of mystery and it was interesting but felt like it was way too underdeveloped. As a whole book had potential but could have been executed well. There was some twist, and it also ends on a cliff-hanger; which was still nicely done to make me continue with the next book. I would suggest this only to urban fantasy romance lovers or else its ok if you skip this book.
Source – Free in KU
Buy Link -https://www.amazon.com/City-Thorns-Demon-Queen-Trials-ebook/dp/B09B51QD2F
Blurb as per good reads
I never thought I’d be singing happy birthday to myself in a dungeon. And yet when a sinfully sexy demon crashes happy hour, that’s exactly what happens. He’s known as the Lord of Chaos, he’s mistaken me for my succubus doppelgänger.
Happy birthday to me.
When he tastes my blood, he finally understands I’m mortal. And I realize we have something in common: we both crave revenge. So we make a deal: I can stay in the forbidden city to hunt for my mom’s killer. In return, I’ll help him get the vengeance he craves. I just have to pose as a sexy succubus. One problem–he’s my number one suspect.
And that’s increasingly hard to remember as he teaches me my role: seduction. With each heated touch I drift further into peril. And if I fall under his seductive spell, death awaits me.
Meander - Read & Roam 